Dozens of Whitehorse pups parade for dog-lover’s 90th birthday

Few others can lay claim to having had a 90th birthday party like Whitehorse resident Niki Simcoe. 

For her special day last week, friends whisked her away from her home and took her to Shipyards Park where dozens of eager dogs were waiting for her.

“We walked around the building at the Shipyards, and there were all these people and dogs and it still didn’t dawn on me that it was maybe for me,” she said.

Once Simcoe was seated in an armchair with a blanket on her lap — it was a chilly day, she recalled — the dog parade began. 

One pair at a time, canines and their guardians approached Simcoe in her chair. She gave each dog a cookie and learned their names. 

“[They were] the best behaved dogs I’ve ever seen … and well-groomed” Simcoe said.

Of particular delight to Simcoe were the few dogs who howled along when people sang Happy Birthday to her.

“I’ve never had a party like this before,” she said.

A lifelong dog lover

Simcoe is a dog enthusiast, who inquires about every dog she meets, and later tells her friends about it.

“They are the love of my life,” she said.

As a child she and her family adopted a small stray dog that looked like a cocker spaniel, she said. They lived in a small Ontario town of about 1,300 around the time of the Great Depression.

“I never even knew that you had a vet, doctors for dogs! I didn’t know they sold dog food because this dog lived on scraps. But she was very healthy and she lived to be 14,” Simcoe said.

Simcoe had many dogs throughout her adult life. Between 1982 and 2012 she had six different dogs, and at one point had three at the same time.

“My husband worked out of town a lot and we bought an acreage and I was alone a lot. So they were my best friends,” she said.

Simcoe’s last dog died in 2012.

Canine community shows up

Simcoe’s good friend, Shea Harwood, was a main organizer of the event. 

Although she can no longer care for a dog of her own, Simcoe said there are still two dogs she gets to spend time with — Harwood’s two Newfoundland dogs. “She carries pictures of my dogs in her wallet,” Harwood said.

Harwood created an event for the dog parade on Facebook, putting out the call to dogs who are well-behaved and are gentle while meeting new people. She expected about a dozen dogs and their guardians to show up.

“I’m blown away by how many people were so generous with their time,” she said.

At one point, there were 43 dogs in line to see Simcoe. The owner of Whitehorse Woof Natural Dog Treats estimated she say more than 90 throughout the event, and served pupacinnos to at least 60.

Simcoe said it’s the best birthday party she’s ever had, and she’s immensely grateful to her friends and everyone who came out to share their pups.